Improvement in harvester-rakes



W. A. WUOD.

Harvester-Rakes.

Patented May 12,1874.

VILLAM A. YVOD, GF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

laracifsntnr in marasma-nantes.

Specification. forming part of Letters Patent No. ii 53,92?, dated May 1Q, 1874; application tiled December 26, 1873.

To all ufhom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM ANsoN WOOD, of Albany, county of AlbanyT and State ot' New York, have invented certain new and usei'ul Improvements in Reel-Rakes for Ilarvesting-Machines, ot which the following is a i'ull, clear, and exact description, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, making part ot' this speciiication, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of a harvesting-machine with my improvements applied. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the reel-rake attachment; and Fig. 3 is a plan view oi' the main or gear frame, showing the relation thereto ot' the rake-gearing, partly in full and partly in dotted lines.

Similar letters ot' reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures.

The invention relates to that class ot combined rake and reel in which the rake and reel arms have imparted to them a continuous rotary movement around a common vertical or nearly vertical shaft, and in which the rising and falling movements of Vsaid arms are ett'ected by links having a point of attachment eccentric to the rake and reel shat't; and consists, iirst, in a mechanism employed for imparting a positive rotation to the eccentricallyarranged pivot, to which the rake and reel links areconnected, timed to and moving at the same rate ot speed with the rake and reel shat't. Second, the invention consists in a novel con struction oi" yielding or automatically extensible links with the rake and reel arms, for connecting said arms with the eccentric link-pivot, whereby they are adapted to act either as rake or reel arms, at thc option of the attendant, and to i'ollow the different paths incident to the performance of such diliterent functions, as required; third, inthe combination ot' a vertically-pivoted track, for giving direction to or controlling the path ot' the arms when acting as rake-arms, with a cam on the rake-shaft, which automatically moves said track outward to engage with and control the arm, and a spring for withdrawing thc track after such rake-arm has passed by; and, lastly, in certain details of construction and arrangement for carrying into effect the abcve-reeited iniprovements, as hereinafter explained.

In the accompanying drawings, A represen ts the main ground or driving wheel, which is mounted upon a stub-axle connected with the forward end of an adjustable sector-plate, B, which, at its rear end, is mounted and turns upon an extension of the sleeve c, which forms the outer main-trame bca-ring for the pinion shaft a. The main frame C, which at its rear end is provided with the slecvebearin gs a for the pinion-shatt a', extends thence forward, and is provided at its forward end with vertical iianges c, for the reception and adjustnient ot' the pivoted timgue (il. Between the bearings a and tongue O1 the t'rameU droops into ruimer or shoe form, is expanded in width, and at its inner drooping side G2 is provided with a suitable socket for the reception and retention ot' the inner end ot' the finger-bar placed about opposite the tread ot' the drivingwheel. Between the inner end of the fingerbar and drivewheel, and about in the same transverse plane with the former, is located the vertical rake-pivot E, supported in a supplemental rake frame or standard, D, which is bolted to the top oi' the main frame C, and upon this pivot or shaft E is mounted the crown or bevel wheel E, to the upper face of which, or to a rotating head connected there with, the rake and reel arms Gr, arranged either radially or tangentially, as preferred, are pivoted in any usual or preterred manner. ,lheup per end ofthe crown-wheel sleeve is armed with a spur-piniomf, eithercast with or keyed to and turning with said sleeve and crown-wheel, and above the pinion j a horizontal arm, F, also constituting a case or cover, is secured to the stationary rake shaft or pivot E; and in the outer end ot' this ease or arm F, which inclines slightly forward trom the line or plane of the hoger-bar, is 1n onnted a second pivot or shaft, c, the upper end ot' which is provided with a rotating head, H, to which the reel and rake arms Gr are connected by links g. 'ilhe lower end of the link shalt or pivot c is armed with a pinion, f1, ot the same size as the pinion j" on the crown-wheel sleeve, from which motion in the same direct-ion and at the same velocity is imparted to the pinion f1 through an intermediate pinionJ', mounted on a pendent pivot, c', in the arm or inelosingcase F. rEhe arrangement ot the link-shaft c and its rotating head ll, to which the links g are connected cccentrically to the rake shaft or head E', serves to impart the rising and falling or vertical movements o f the rake and reelarmsneeessary to enable them to pass the drive-wheel and the driver seated on the machine, and to permit the rake-heads Gf to descend into the standing grain, and to pick up lodged and fallen grain, present the same to the cutters, and deposit it, after it is cut, on the platform I. The point at which the rakes descend into the grain may be regulated, if desired, by the adjustment of the arm F forward or backward relatively to the plane of the cutting apparatus.

rIhe links g are jointed and extensible, the two parts being connected, one, g, at one end to the head H, and at the other end to the outer end of the part g, which, at its inner end, is provided with a pivot, e', mounted in a socket, z", in the rake-arm. A spring, 1&2, surrounding the pivot within the socket il, serves by its tension to prevent any yielding or extension of the jointed link when the arlns G act as reel-arms only, and in which ease they pursue a uniform path; but when the arms G are caused to act asrake-arms, as hereinafter explained, the spring yields, and permits the deflected parts g g to approach a right line, effecting an elongation of the link necessary to permit such change of path. After the rakehead has passed over the platform and discharged the grain, the tension of the spring' i2 retracts it to its former position for passing the wheel on its return movement, and causes it to assume its normal relation of reel-beater.

The devices for givin g direction to the arms G, when acting as rake-arms, are as follows: A horizontal segment, J, provided on its outer face with horizontal lips or flanges j, is connected, by a vertical pivot near or slightly in rear of the center of its length, with an arm, D', of the rake-standard D, a spring, d, surrounding said pivot, serving, by its tension, to draw and hold the forward end of the segment inward toward the rake-shaft and out of the way of the rake and reel arms, its inward movement being limited by a stop, d. rlhe flanges j form, between them, a curved horizontal groove or way, and a friction-roller, 7.2, mounted on a horizontal stud on a lug or bracket, k, attached to the rake and reel arms G, moves within said groove when the arms act as rakes, but which freely passes by the upper flange j, when the segment J iswithdrawn, for permitting the arms to act as gathering-arms or reel-beaters only. Upon the lower sleeve ofthe crown-wheel E', and resting upon a shoulder on the supporting-standard I), is placed a cam-sleeve, L, feathered to and rotating with the crown-wheel sleeve, but free to slide up and down thereon, and held in place by a spring, m. A cam or cams, l, formed upon or attached to this rotating sleeve L, act upon a friction-roller, j', mounted upon the forward end of the pivotcd way J at each revolution of the rake-shaft, and force said end outward, causing the friction-roller k to `engage with the grooved way J as the rakearm G passes over the cutters, thereby retaining said arm in its depressed relation until the rake-head connected therewith has swept the gain off the platform, when it is lifted again, as before explained. The cam Z may be duplicated, if desired, and thus one, two, or more of the rake-heads may be made to act as rakes, as desired. In turning corners, or whenever the condition of the grain is such that it is desired to allow it to remain longer upon the platform than it would if acted upon by the regular rotation of the cam l, said cam may be raised by sliding its sleeve upward on the sleeve of the crown-wheel E', and thus causing it to pass above the roller j and without actuating the same, and this is accomplished by the driver, in his seat, pressing his foot upon a lever, F, and thereby, through links a a and levers N1 and N2, or other convenient arrangement for the purpose, aeting upon said sleeve L, overcoming the tension of spring m, and raising the cam, which, as soon as the pressure of the foot or hand is withdrawn, is returned to its norma-l position by the spring m, and again throws the raketraek into action, as before. Ilhe crown or rake wheel E is driven by a bevel-pinion, O, on the forward end of a longitudinal shaft, the rear end of which is provided with a bevelwheel, which engages with and is driven by a bevel-pinion 011 the pinion-shaft a; but any preferred arrangement of driving mechanism may be used.

Parts not particularly described may be constructed in any usual or preferred manner, and of those described it will be obvious that, although a particular form or construction of main frame, and the arrangement of the drivewheel and pinion-shaft and cutting apparatus relative thereto, have been described in showing how the invention may be carried out in practice, other forms of main frame and arrangement of drive-wheel and cutting apparatus relative thereto may be employed in lieu of those described.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. rIhe eccentrieally-arranged rotating head H, to which the reel and rake arms are linked,- driven from the rake and reel shaft, so as to give a positive rotation to said head in the same direction with, and timed to, the movements of the rake and reel shaft, substantially as described.

2. rlhe arm F, which supports the rotating` eccentrieally-arranged head H, made also to cover or inelose and protect the gearing for operating said head, substantially as described.

3. The link g and pivotcd arm g', with its pivot fi and retracting-spring 2, forming an extensible link-connection between the rakearm and rotating head H, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. 'lhe flan ged or horizontally-grooved track J, connected by a Vertical pivot with its sup- 6. The @am sleeve L, feathered upon, and porting-standard, and operating substantially rotating with, the crown-wheel sleeve, as dein the manner and for the purpose described. scribed, and for the purpose set forth.

5. The cam l, rotating with the rake and XVM. ANSON VOOD. reel carrier or shaft, in combination with the Vituesses: vertically-pivoted Way or track J, arranged C. B. TILLINGHAST,

and operating as described. FRANK Wool). 

